The present invention relates to a jet regulator having a mounting case that is divided into at least two case parts that can be connected to one another. A jet regulator of the above-noted type is known for example from DE 30 00 799 A1. The known jet regulator, which can for example be built into the outflow mouth of a sanitary outflow armature, has in the interior of its mounting housing a jet fractionating device, formed as a perforated plate, that divides the inflowing jet of water into a multiple of individual jets. In a jet regulating device, these individual jets are formed (after an admixture of air if necessary) into a homogenous, soft-beading, non-spraying water jet.
In the known jet regulator, the perforated plate that acts as a jet fractionating device is formed as a separate plastic part that can be placed into the mounting housing of the jet regulator from the flow inlet side. In order to enable good fractionation of the inflowing jet of water into the individual jets in the perforated plate, it is desirable that the axial longitudinal extension of the flow holes in the perforated plate be relatively short, thus resulting in a correspondingly small thickness of the perforated plate. However, because the perforated plate, whose plane is oriented transverse to the direction of flow, can be exposed to high water pressures, and because the perforated plate, which is made of plastic, tends to exhibit undesirable deformations that negatively affect its functioning, especially at high water temperatures and if the plate thickness is too small, a certain minimum thickness of the perforated plate is nonetheless required.
From DE-U-200 06 163, a jet regulator of the above-noted type is known whose mounting housing is divided into two housing parts that can be connected to one another. Inside the housing of the known jet regulator, there is provided a flow rectifier, a homogenizing device being connected downstream in the direction of flow from this flow rectifier. While the flow rectifier directs the individual jets flowing in the line cross-section in approximately the same direction of flow, these individual jets flowing in the same direction are subsequently combined in the homogenizing device to form a homogenous, soft-beading, non-spraying water jet. Here, the flow rectifier, which is comparatively large and has significantly larger flow openings in comparison with the subsequent homogenizing device, is connected fixedly and non-releasably with the case part at the flow inlet side of the mounting case.
Because a flow rectifier for the regular orienting of the individual jets must also have a comparatively large axial longitudinal extension, and thus a correspondingly large plate thickness, the plate-shaped flow rectifier, which is provided with through-holes, of the jet regulator known from DE-U-200 06 163 is sufficiently stable to withstand high water pressures on its own. Because the jet regulator known from DE-U-200 06 163 does not have a jet fractionating device, in this known prior art the problems stated above in relation to DE 30 00 799 A1 do not arise here.
The object therefore arises of creating a jet regulator of the type named above, having a jet fractionating device, said jet regulator being distinguished by a high degree of stability in its shape, even at small housing diameters, while nonetheless being inexpensive to manufacture.
In the jet regulator of the type named above, the solution according to the present invention of this problem is to be found in the features recited in patent claim 1.
The jet regulator according to the present invention comprises a jet fractionating device, to which there is connected downstream, at the flow outlet side, a jet regulating device and/or a flow rectifier. So that this jet fractionating device can divide the inflowing water jet into a multiplicity of individual jets, the flow holes of the jet fractionating device have a smaller inner diameter in comparison with the flow openings of the jet regulating device, or of the jet rectifier. In contrast to the prior art known from DE 30 00 799 A1, which, unlike the jet regulator known from DE-U-200 06 163, likewise has a jet fractionating device, the jet fractionating device of the jet regulator according to the present invention is connected fixedly and non-detachably with a case part at the flow inlet side. Because a sensitive jet fractionating device, for example a thin perforated plate, is also connected at its peripheral edge with the case part in a secure, fixed, and protected manner, no significant deformation of the jet fractionating device, negatively affecting its functioning, is to be expected, even at hot water temperatures and high water pressures. Because the jet fractionating device of the jet regulator according to the present invention is held fixedly and non-detachably on the inner case wall, and because an annular flange is no longer required there as a support for the jet fractionating device, the jet regulator according to the present invention can be constructed with a comparatively small case diameter even for high flow rates; in the prior art known from DE 30 00 799 A1, this was possible only in jet regulators having low flow rates. Due to the jet fractionating device, connected fixedly with the mounting housing, the mounting housing experiences a radial stiffening that also makes the sleeve-shaped mounting housing more stable and resistant to breakage overall. While in known jet regulators, in which a separate perforated plate was mounted in the external housing as a jet fractionating device, sealing problems constantly arose between the perforated plate and the sleeve-shaped external housing, the jet regulator according to the present invention offers the essential advantage that these sealing problems do not arise, due to the fact that the jet fractionating device and the housing part at the flow inlet side are constructed in one piece. Because the mounting housing is made of at least two housing parts that can be connected to one another, it is nonetheless possible as needed to place a jet regulating device, connected downstream from the perforated plate in the direction of flow, and additional required functional units as needed, into the mounting housing. The jet regulator according to the present invention is therefore distinguished by a high degree of shape stability while at the same time having a low manufacturing cost.
In order to make it possible to construct the jet regulator according to the present invention in modular form if necessary, and in order to be able to exchange the functional units situated in at least one of its housing parts as needed, it can be advantageous if at least two housing parts can be connected to one another in releasable fashion.
As a jet fractionating device, any suitable design can be used that divides the jet of water flowing into the jet regulator into a multiplicity of individual jets. In this way, the jet fractionating device can for example also be realized as a baffle plate. In a preferred specific embodiment according to the present invention, however, it is provided that the jet fractionating device is formed as a perforated plate.
Insofar as a strong or less strong braking of the flow of water in the jet regulator according to the present invention is desired, it is possible to adapt the jet regulator by exchanging the jet regulating device as well as the functional units connected downstream therefrom. A preferred specific embodiment of the present invention therefore provides that at least two jet regulating devices that can optionally be placed into the mounting housing are allocated to the mounting housing, which is made up of at least two housing parts that can be connected to one another.
The housing part at the flow inlet side of the jet regulator according to the present invention can be manufactured at low expense as a one-piece plastic injection-molded part, if the jet fractionating device is connected in one piece with the housing part allocated thereto.
The expense associated with the manufacture of the jet regulator according to the present invention is further reduced if the mounting housing has two adjacent housing parts that can be connected to one another in a dividing plane oriented transverse to the inflow direction.
It is possible for at least two housing parts of the jet regulator according to the present invention to be connected with one another for example by gluing or welding.
However, the housing parts of the jet regulator according to the present invention can be connected to one another in a particularly simple and convenient fashion if the housing parts of the mounting housing can be locked with one another in releasable fashion.
A preferred specific embodiment of the present invention provides that a housing part at the flow outlet side is constructed in the form of a sleeve, and that at least one insert part of the jet regulating device or a functional unit of this sort can be placed into this housing part. Here, it is advantageous if the at least one insert part can be placed into the housing part allocated to the functional unit from the flow inlet side of this housing part, up to an insert stop or a support.
In order to make it possible to easily adapt the jet regulator according to the present invention to a wide range of requirements, while using the same mounting housing, a plurality of jet regulating devices that can optionally be placed into the mounting housing can be allocated to this mounting housing. In addition, or instead of this, it is possible for the jet regulating device of the jet regulator to have a modular construction, and for a plurality of insert parts that can optionally be combined with one another to be allocated to this jet regulating device.
In a specific embodiment, warranting separate protection, of the jet regulator according to the present invention, it is provided that the jet regulating device comprises at least one insert part that can be placed into the mounting housing and that has webs that are oriented transverse to the direction of flow and that delimit between them through-openings, and that the webs of at least one insert part are disposed in the fashion of a grid or net, intersecting at intersect nodes.
In the interior of its mounting housing, this jet regulator has a jet regulating device that has at least one insert part that can be placed into the mounting housing. This at least one insert part has webs that are situated in a plane oriented transverse to the direction of flow, with the webs being disposed in the manner of a grid or net, intersecting at intersect nodes. Due to this grid- or net-type structure, the at least one insert part can comprise a large number of webs even on a comparatively small cross-sectional surface, which separate the incoming jet of water into a multiplicity of individual jets. Thus, an effective mixing and jet regulation can be achieved even with high flow rates on a comparatively small cross-sectional surface. Even given a large number of webs, these webs can be disposed in the fashion of a grid or net in such a way that the through-openings are nonetheless sufficiently large to allow dirt particles carried along in the stream to pass.
A preferred specific embodiment according to the present invention provides that the at least one insert part of the jet regulating device is situated relative to the jet fractionating device in such a way that the individual jets produced in the jet fractionating device impinge on intersect nodes of the at least one insert part.
In order to additionally increase the effectiveness of the dividing of the individual jets, and in order to additionally improve the jet regulating properties even for the smallest cross-sectional surface, it is advantageous if at least two adjacent insert parts are provided that have webs that are disposed in the manner of a grid or net. In this specific embodiment, the jet regulating device comprises at least two insert parts having webs that intersect at intersect nodes in, for example, the manner of a grid. At these intersect nodes, each individual jet of water is again effectively divided into a plurality of individual jets in such a way that an effective mixing and jet regulation can be achieved even at high flow rates and with a comparatively small cross-sectional surface of the inventive jet regulator.
A specific embodiment of the present invention thereby provides that the webs and intersect nodes of the at least two adjacent insert parts align with one another. A particular advantage of such a specific embodiment is that at least two insert parts can be identical in construction.
In another specific embodiment that represents a further development of the present invention, distinguished by an especially effective division of the water jets in the smallest space, it is provided that the intersect nodes of an adjacent insert part are connected downstream in the direction of flow from the through-openings of the insert part to which it is adjacent.
A simple specific embodiment according to the present invention that can be manufactured at low cost provides that at least one insert part, situated at the flow inlet and/or flow outlet side, has a grid-type construction, and comprises two intersecting sets of parallel grid webs. In addition, or instead of this, an insert part at the flow inlet and/or flow outlet side can have a set of radial webs that intersect at the intersect nodes with a set of webs that are arranged concentrically or in annular fashion. According to a further proposal of the present invention, it is provided that an insert part at the flow inlet side and/or an insert part at the flow outlet side has webs that intersect in stelliform fashion, or in the manner of a net.
However, it is also possible that the webs of at least one insert part form a honeycomb-shaped grid structure.
A construction of the jet regulator according to the present invention that saves space in the axial direction as well is favored if the webs of at least one insert part are situated in a plane that is preferably oriented transverse to the direction of flow, and if in particular the insert parts have a plate-shaped design. In order to unite, at the flow outlet side, the individual jets produced in the jet regulating device to form a homogenous non-spraying overall jet, it is advantageous for the width of the through-openings of the flow rectifier to be smaller than their length in the direction of flow. Here it is particularly useful for the flow rectifier to be situated at the exit end of the mounting case.
The flow rectifier can be connected in one piece with the mounting housing, or can be placed into the mounting housing as a separate insert part. While a jet regulator that can be placed into the mounting housing as a separate insert part further supports the modular design of the jet regulator according to the present invention, a flow rectifier connected in one piece with the mounting housing can also act as a guard against vandalism of the jet regulator at the flow outlet side.
The flow rectifier of the jet regulator according to the present invention can also be adapted in its construction to the particular housing of application and the purpose of use. Thus, it can for example be provided that the flow rectifier has through-openings that are rectangular, shaped as segments of a circle, or honeycomb-shaped.
However, it is also possible for the flow rectifier and/or the jet regulating device to comprise at least one metal sieve.
The effectiveness of the jet regulating device used is further increased if the intersect nodes of an insert part of the jet regulating device that immediately follows the perforated plate are connected downstream from the through-holes of the perforated plate.
A preferred specific embodiment according to the present invention provides that the housing part at the outflow side has a soft and/or water-repellent surface at least in the area of the water exit opening. The advantage of this specific embodiment consists in the freedom from calcification in the area of its water exit opening. In addition, a soft surface is easy to clean, in particular by manual stripping off of deposits that may accumulate.
For the same reasons, it can be advantageous if, in addition to or instead of the measure just described, the housing part at the outflow side is manufactured from an elastic material, at least in the area of the water exit opening. Here, rubber, silicon, thermoplastic elastomers, or other rubber-like materials are preferably to be used.
In order to promote simple manufacture of the jet regulator according to the present invention even in the area of its housing part at the outflow side, it is advantageous if the housing part at the outflow side is made essentially of an elastic material and/or a material having a surface that is soft or that repels water.
So that a housing part made from a rubber-like material is inherently sufficiently stable, and can also be fastened to the adjacent housing part by, for example, a locking connection, it is advantageous if the housing part at the outflow side is reinforced by longitudinal webs that are preferably distributed uniformly in the circumferential direction.
A preferred specific embodiment according to the present invention thereby provides that the longitudinal webs are provided at least in the area of the exit opening.
A particularly advantageous development according to the present invention, warranting separate protection, provides that the housing part at the outflow side comprises, in the area of the water exit opening, at least one constriction or similar narrowing of its flow cross-section. This constriction or similar narrowing of the flow cross-section has a calibrating effect on the outflowing jet of water and its flow pattern. The narrowing of the flow cross-section is provided in the area of the water exit opening, and thus in an area that is connected downstream from possible disturbing contours in the direction of flow. The calibration of the water jet significantly promotes a homogenous, non-spraying, and low-noise flow pattern.
In order to further simplify the manufacture of the jet regulator according to the present invention, it is advantageous if the housing part at the outflow side can be connected with the housing part that is adjacent at the flow inlet side, preferably via a locking connection, in particular a peripheral one.
Additional features of the present invention result from the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in connection with the claims and the drawing. The individual features can be realized individually or in combination in a specific embodiment of the present invention.